The negotiations concluded, and Koharu Utatane led Yellow Dog and the others back to the frontline main camp.
The moment they entered the camp, Koharu was greeted by a sea of joyful faces as she nodded to the ninja she recognized. Everyone was beaming. The war was over—the war in the Land of Whirlpools had finally come to an end.
Inside the command tent, Uchiha Atsume stood immediately to greet Koharu. Beside him, Danzo sat motionless, eyes cast down toward a scroll.
"Danzo," Koharu said, "you really can't communicate normally with anyone. I had to run all the way from the village just to handle the talk with Genji."
Yagami recalled the scene of Koharu and Genji screaming insults at each other and thought to himself that she wasn't exactly a master negotiator either. During the Land of Rivers campaign, Shikaku Nara had controlled the room with a perfect balance of dignity and steady pressure—now that was a man of class.
Danzo asked simply, "Did Genji yield?"
"He yielded; he had no other choice," Koharu replied. "Danzo, once Genji's ceasefire scroll arrives, we can return to the village for the New Year."
Danzo nodded.
Koharu then turned to Uchiha Atsume. "Clan Head Atsume, and the rest of the staff, please leave the tent. I need a private word with Consultant Danzo."
Atsume replied, "As you wish." He didn't seem particularly worried; whatever Koharu had to say likely had nothing to do with him. He had just won a war as deputy commander; the village wouldn't target him now... right?
Once the staff had cleared out, only the two Consultants, their assistants, and the ANBU remained.
Koharu glanced to the side. "Where is B?"
"B?" Danzo said coldly. "He was martyred."
"Martyred? What a pity." Koharu sighed. "B's abilities were very unique—exceptional at infiltration and assassination."
Koharu herself had occasionally requested B by name for specific missions. With his ability to disperse into insects, slip through window cracks, and reform at a noble's bedside, his assassinations were flawless. More importantly, he could vanish without leaving a single footprint.
Koharu continued, "Danzo, I'm also here on behalf of Hiruzen to announce several appointments."
She watched Danzo's expression carefully, but her caution was in vain. Danzo remained expressionless, a blank slate.
"Yellow Dog executed a perfect ambush, achieving brilliant results. He killed Muratsuki Hozuki along with several Jonin and over three hundred Mist ninja. Hiruzen has appointed Yellow Dog as the Vice Commander of ANBU."
Koharu paused. "We are getting older, Danzo. People... they need to be young. Konoha belongs to the youth in the end, don't you agree?"
Danzo looked toward Yellow Dog. Yellow Dog did not respond or meet his gaze. In a room of elders, there was no need for him to speak.
"Fine," Danzo said. "The youth can have the future. However, the Captaincy of the Alligator Turtle Brigade should go to C."
Yagami thought to himself: 'This is the compromise.'
Danzo was agreeing to Yellow Dog becoming Vice Commander, but in exchange, he wanted to secure another ANBU brigade. ANBU consisted of six brigades. The Golden Eagle and Black Ant brigades protected the Third Hokage and handled his direct orders, rarely leaving the village for long. The Bay Leopard and Lynx brigades were under Danzo's total control. The Yellow Dog and Alligator Turtle brigades were the ones typically sent on long-term external missions for the Hokage.
The previous Captain of the Alligator Turtle brigade was dead, and B had been acting as proxy. Now that B was dead too, the official seat was vacant. By yielding on the Vice Commander position, Danzo sought to gain a third brigade. This would give him direct control over half of the ANBU forces—it was hard to say if his power was being restricted or expanded.
However, once Yellow Dog became Vice Commander, Yagami would naturally become a new Captain. Yellow Dog wouldn't let Yagami be his only piece; he would surely fight for the Alligator Turtle brigade. Yagami guessed Yellow Dog wanted Hippo for that spot.
Koharu, seemingly having anticipated this, spoke up: "That leads to the other matter I need to discuss with you."
"Danzo, the Second Shinobi World War will end before the New Year. The villages have suffered heavy losses; there won't be another great war anytime soon. ANBU does not need to maintain such a massive scale of six brigades. Mitokado Homura is in charge of internal affairs, and he told Hiruzen that ANBU consumes too many resources. In peacetime, there is no need for six brigades. A force of about 300 is sufficient."
"Post-war, ANBU will undergo a streamlining reform. We will move from six brigades to four squads. Each squad will consist of four or five teams, totaling no more than eighty people per squad."
"The Black Ant squad will handle Hiruzen's protection and message delivery. The Golden Eagle, Lynx, and Fox squads will be the three primary assassination and action squads. War-time strategies differ from peace-time strategies. What do you say, Danzo?"
Yagami felt a surge of private excitement. Koharu had just referred to him as a Squad Leader. Though having only four or five teams meant he would lead fewer men than a Brigade Captain, the position was arguably more prestigious—one of the four core pillars of ANBU.
From Koharu's explanation, it was clear that Homura had used financial burden as the scalpel to propose the cuts, Hiruzen had approved them, and Koharu had arrived to announce them with swift authority. The other high-level officials seemed to be ganging up on Danzo. Yagami wondered what Danzo had done to make them so desperate to weaken him.
Danzo's eyelids drooped even further. Even Yagami could see he was on the verge of an explosion. Out of the four new squads, only the Lynx squad would be under his direct control. How could he not be furious? Yet, he didn't explode; he was more likely to bury his resentment and find another way to retaliate.
Koharu quickly added a soothing note: "Danzo, I told Hiruzen and Homura that Root handles many vital tasks—from secret technique research to ANBU training—and must not be cut. My view is that Root's success is obvious to all. It should no longer be limited to just training ANBU; Root can function according to your will, executing more clandestine missions. After the reform, ANBU will have one Commander and one Vice Commander. It will be composed of Root, the Guard squad, the three Assassination squads, and Logistics. Root will be more independent, answering only to you. You are the Commander of ANBU; what do you think of this reform?"
Yagami understood now. The elders were compromising on Root, giving it entirely to Danzo. In return, Danzo was expected to yield to Hiruzen's vision of the ANBU reform. The staff would be trimmed, and the Third Hokage would exercise total control over ANBU through Yellow Dog's daily management.
Danzo's eyes flickered as he mentally weighed the cost. Was a fully autonomous Root worth the concession?
The tent was silent. After two minutes, Danzo spoke: "Root operations will require no reporting to anyone else. They will be responsible to me alone."
Koharu nodded. "Of course."
"The selection of Root personnel will be entirely at my discretion."
"Of course."
"Very well. I agree to the ANBU reform plan."
Koharu's expression relaxed, and she began to speak in high-minded platitudes. "I was worried you wouldn't agree. Homura showed me the ledgers; ANBU is like a gold-swallowing beast. Equipment, pay, pensions—it's devouring too much of the budget. It had to be reformed. By downsizing to four squads, the financial burden will be greatly eased. After the war, we must pay out many death benefits. The families have been patient with the delays, but how could the village bear to let the orphans of heroes go without their pensions? It is good that you agree, Danzo."
Every division of power was wrapped in the "greater good" of the village. Rhetoric and public opinion were, after all, essential components of power.
***
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